DeSantis suggests he would eliminate several federal agencies, including IRS

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis suggested that he would eliminate a number of government agencies during an interview on Wednesday. 

"Are you in favor of eliminating any agencies? I know conservatives in the past have talked about closing the Department of Education, would you do that?" Fox News's Martha MacCallum asked the Florida governor on "The Story." 

“We would do (the Department of) Education, we would do (Department of) Commerce, we'd do (Department of) Energy, and we would do IRS," DeSantis responded, referring to the Internal Revenue Service. "And so if Congress will work with me on doing that, we'll be able to reduce the size and scope of government." 

"But what I'm also going to do, Martha, is be prepared if Congress won't go that far, I'm going to use those agencies to push back against woke ideology and against the leftism that we see creeping into all institutions of American life," he said. 

Last month, the Florida governor voiced support for defunding the IRS during an interview with conservative radio host Dana Loesch. 

"So, the answer's yes," he said. "I think the IRS is a corrupt organization and I think it's not a friend to the average citizen or taxpayer. And so we need something totally different."

"I've supported all of the single rate proposals, I think they would be a huge improvement over the current system and I would be welcoming to take this tax system, chunk it out the window and do something that's more favorable to the average folks," he added.